Tony Janio: Labour taken over by a ‘parasitic, hard-left virus’

Cllr Tony Janio, leader of the Conservatives on Brighton and Hove City Council

Published:15:00Friday 27 April 2018

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In a year of mixed emotions, I write currently engulfed by sadness.

Sadness for Mr Skripal, his daughter Yulia and Detective Sergeant Bailey, who were poisoned with nerve agent on British soil. With unbeatable treatment from our magnificent NHS, I am pleased they are now all recovering.

Sadness for our Prime Minister who, whilst dealing with a nerve agent attack on British soil, used her great diplomatic skills to establish a consensus with our allies. The Russians have form: claiming no Russian troops were in Crimea; nor Ukraine; nor any doping of Russian athletes; nor was there a chemical attack on civilians in Syria. Jeremy Corbyn repeatedly failed to support the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, even suggesting that the military action in Syria, whilst service personnel were still operational, was illegal. I can never forgive him for these despicable actions.

Sadness, therefore, for a Labour Party that, until now, has acted honourably in times of national crisis, by sending a message that we are united when threatened - but has now failed to support the Government out of pure ideology.

Sadness also that, with a family member having been murdered by The Nazis (for being Polish and not Jewish), it is obvious that anti-Semitism in The Labour Party cannot be ‘solved’ under its current leadership. Please don’t take my word for it. Last week in Parliament, Labour’s antisemitism problem exploded when Jewish MPs received standing ovations after attacking Labour’s handling of antisemitism under Mr Corbyn’s leadership. Ruth Smeeth MP gave an example of messages she had received on social media - “hang yourself … you’re a cancer of humanity” and “first job for Jeremy Corbyn...expel the Zionist hag bitch Ruth Smeeth”. Sadness, therefore, that moderate Labour MPs and councillors can’t accept that their party is not the one they joined: they must now surely realise that it has been taken over by a parasitic, hard-left virus. They must also now decide if they can continue to be members of a Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn, or indeed any other on the far-left, who holds these vile views.